Cheap Layer Feed.. Is It Really Cheaper?

Is Cheaper Better For Egg Production?

Cheap Layer Feed.. Is It Really CheaperThis article aims to give those who are feeding poultry a working knowledge of a few areas to consider when feeding poultry for egg production. Assuming that feed & cool clean drinking water is available and accessible to all birds 24/7 and that there are no health complications there are a two
key areas that impact poultry voluntary feed intake,

  • Energy of feed
  • Fibre level of feed

Lets look at Energy first, energy in poultry feeds is expressed in Kilocalories (Kcal) and this can be expressed in two ways, “As Fed’ or “Dry Matter”.“As Fed” is how the animal would eat the product and “Dry Matter” is after all moisture is removed from the product then analysed. (See table 1.)

Cheap Layer Pellets.Are They Cheaper

 

 

 

 

As you can see from the above table a layer pellet with an “As Fed” protein of 15.00% is equal to 17.05% on a 100% “Dry Matter” basis.Manufactures do not have to disclose if they are stating their analysis on an “As Fed” or “Dry Matter” and in some cases they my even use the two methods on both labelling and technical sheets.On average for a hen to product 1 egg and maintain herself, she requires approximately 300 – 350 Kcal of energy per day. This variance takes into consideration age & breed of bird, level of activity & desired production desired. (See table 2.)

Cheape Layer Pellets.Are They Really Cheaper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With table 2. in mind and lets work with a 3.00 kg mature hen and we are after 70% lay (0.7 eggs per day) and knowing we are needing 300 – 350 Kcal per day we can estimate (on average) we need 129 grams of feed with an energy density of 2325 – 2713 Kcal (DM) per kg per bird per day. This is where we now take a look at Fibre, hens especially those that range love to have a scratch around and get a pick of grasses, food scraps & the odd bug which are high in fibre and normally low in energy. This fibre can limit the ability for the hen to have adequate intake of high energy density feeds such as grains & pellets to satisfy their maintenance, growth and egg production requirements. By no means am I suggesting that you lock up your girls and not permit them the luxury of a good scratch about the back yard, but rather you may wish to manage how much time they have out by restricting it to every second day if egg production is foremost and /or look to use a higher energy dense feed to complement other components of their diet. So now we look at commercial manufactured layer feeds, in most cases the higher the energy density of a feed the higher the price you have to pay. Cheaper layer diets are normally made up of higher fibre type products which can limit intake and hence have a negative impact on growth & egg production therefore needing more of the cheaper layer diet to be fed to achieve the potential results of a higher analysis diet. Although feed protein levels are an important factor for your hens, you need to focus on both the energy & protein levels of your feed and not buy feed based on it’s protein level alone and is the analysis quoted based on an “As Fed” or “Dry Matter” basis. If this in not quoted by the manufacture I would suggest you make contact with the manufacture for a detailed analysis so you can compare apples with apples.Other areas that impact voluntary intake of poultry.

  • Breed & age of birds
  • Day light hours
  • Temperature & humidity
  • Feed Palatability
  • Feed & water availability & access
  • Seasonal conditions
  • Stress
  • Hygiene
  • Housing

If You need more information,contact our friendly staff in store.

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